EMTA casinos: how the Estonian gambling licence works

What is an EMTA licence?

An EMTA licence is a gambling licence from Maksu- ja Tolliamet, known as EMTA. This is Estonia’s Tax and Customs Board, which both issues gambling licences and supervises gambling in Estonia. The licence is based on the country’s Gambling Act, the Hasartmänguseadus, which was passed in 2008 and came into force in 2009.

The purpose of the Act is to set strict requirements for gambling operators, protect players and reduce the harm that gambling causes. Our guide to casino licences shows how the Estonian licence differs from the others.

Two permits: activity licence and operating permit

An Estonian online casino needs two permits. The first is an activity licence, which is issued with no time limit and cannot be transferred to anyone else. There are separate activity licences for games of chance, betting (Toto) and games of skill. The second is an operating permit, which gives the right to actually offer the games. An operating permit for online casino games is issued for up to five years at a time.

For players, this means that an activity licence on its own is not enough. Once the operating permit has expired, the company may no longer offer the games it covered, even if the activity licence is still shown as valid.

What the law requires of a casino

The Gambling Act places a number of duties on the casino. First, it must make sure that people who are not allowed to gamble, for example anyone under 21, do not take part. It must also warn players clearly that gambling can be addictive and refer them to organisations that help people with a gambling problem. Finally, it must identify and exclude players who use technical tools to interfere with the random outcome of a game.

The 2026 amendment

A major amendment to the Gambling Act came into force on 1 January 2026. It sets new requirements for activity licence applications. New applications must now also be approved by Estonia’s Financial Intelligence Unit, the authority that fights money laundering. Companies that received their activity licence before 2026 have until 1 January 2027 to bring their business and paperwork into line with the new application requirements. If they don’t, EMTA will revoke the activity licence. It is therefore worth checking the list again after that date.

Age limit of 21 in Estonia

In Estonia, you may not play games of chance, including online, until you are 21. In Denmark, the age limit for online casino games is 18.

Where is Estonia?

Estonia lies on the Baltic Sea, and its capital, Tallinn, is about 840 km from Copenhagen in a straight line. The country has been a member of the EU since 1 May 2004.

A licence from Estonia is therefore a licence from an EU country. What that means, and which other countries count, is explained on our page about EU-licensed casinos.

EMTA’s list, the register and blocked sites

EMTA’s list of legal gambling operators shows the companies that are licensed to offer gambling in Estonia. More than 40 companies appear in the online games category, each with the web addresses its permit covers. When we checked on 3 November 2026, the list had last been updated on 30 October 2026.

The list includes both Estonian companies and companies based in other countries, Malta among them. Apart from the three casinos we look at below, you will find names such as Paf, PokerStars, Betsafe and OlyBet on it.

How to read the register

Almost every company on the list has a link to its record in the Register of Economic Activities. The record shows each permit with its number, start date, end date and status. An activity licence is shown as “Tähtajatu”, meaning it has no end date, while every operating permit has one. If it says “Kehtiv: Jah” (valid: yes), the permit is in force.

If you click on an operating permit, the type of game is shown under “Hasartmängu liigid”. “Õnnemäng” means games of chance such as casino games, and “Toto” means betting. When a company has several operating permits, the permit for games of chance must be valid if you want to play casino games.

In the records we looked at, activity licence numbers start with HKT and operating permit numbers with HKL. Each operating permit refers to the activity licence it belongs to, so you can see which permits go together.

Blocked gambling sites

Under the Gambling Act, EMTA can order internet providers to block access to illegal gambling sites. EMTA publishes the list as a PDF and a CSV file on its page about blocked gambling websites. According to EMTA, it cannot help players who run into problems on these sites, and it recommends playing on sites with a valid Estonian licence. When we checked on 3 November 2026, the list had last been updated on 2 October 2026.

The EMTA licence and players in Denmark

An Estonian licence is not a Danish licence

Although Estonia is in the EU, a casino with an Estonian licence may not offer gambling in Denmark without a licence from the Danish Gambling Authority (Spillemyndigheden). Within the limits of EU law, each country regulates gambling itself, and Denmark allows online casino games only under a Danish licence.

Under the Danish Gambling Act, offering gambling here without a licence is punishable by a fine or up to six months in prison. In aggravated cases, the sentence can be up to a year. A fine can also be imposed on anyone who seeks to make a living from unlicensed gambling. We have found no penalty provision aimed at ordinary players. How the rules affect you as a player is covered on our page about foreign casino sites.

According to the Danish Gambling Authority’s list, which we checked on 3 November 2026, none of the companies with a Danish online casino licence has an address in Estonia.

Three well-known casinos with an Estonian licence

As none of the casinos in our selection holds an Estonian licence, we instead checked three well-known names on EMTA’s list and in the Register of Economic Activities on 3 November 2026. We then compared them with the Danish Gambling Authority’s list.

• bet365: Hillside (New Media Malta) PLC is on EMTA’s list with bet365.ee. The company has two activity licences with no expiry date, an operating permit for casino games until May 2028 and one for betting until May 2038. The same company holds the Danish licence for bet365.dk.
• Unibet: LEXBYTE DIGITAL LIMITED is on EMTA’s list with unibet.ee and mariacasino.ee. It has an operating permit for casino games until May 2028 and one for betting until May 2038. In Denmark, a different company, Unibet (Denmark) Limited, holds the licence for unibet.dk.
• Coolbet: StayCool OÜ is on EMTA’s list with coolbet.com. It has an operating permit for casino games until April 2031 and one for betting until March 2036. Coolbet is not on the Danish Gambling Authority’s list.

All three hold a valid Estonian licence. Only bet365 and Unibet also hold a Danish licence, which covers just the addresses on the Danish Gambling Authority’s list.

Hillside and LEXBYTE are both based in Malta. Malta’s own licence is covered on our page about the licence from Malta.

If you come across a casino that refers to an Estonian licence, look it up on both EMTA’s list and the Danish list before you open an account. Then you will know exactly which licence covers the web address you use.

Estonian casino bonuses

None of the nine casinos in our selection holds an EMTA licence, so the offers on our cards are not Estonian casino bonuses. The Estonian Gambling Act we have read does not mention bonuses, and we have not found a limit on their size. According to an Estonian law firm, the main rule in the Advertising Act is that gambling adverts must not urge people to play.

Both bet365 and Unibet are also on the Danish Gambling Authority’s list, and on their Danish sites the Danish bonus rules apply, with a limit of 1,000 kr. If you see a bonus on an Estonian site, read the wagering, deadlines and withdrawal limits for yourself.

EMTA casino payments: banks, cards and crypto

The Estonian Gambling Act says who a casino may receive bets through. For online play, that means a bank, a payment institution, an e-money institution or a crypto service provider licensed in an EEA country. The rule was last changed with effect from 1 January 2026, and the Act also names crypto-assets as a possible bet.

Card payments typically go through such an institution, but the Act does not say which methods each casino must have, so check the cashier. None of the casinos on our cards holds an EMTA licence.

How to complain about an EMTA casino

An Estonian casino’s game rules must include a set complaints procedure, with a deadline for dealing with complaints. The casino’s management board adopts the rules, EMTA reviews them when the casino applies for its operating permit, and any later changes need EMTA’s approval. Your complaint should go to the casino first, following the procedure in its game rules.

If the casino doesn’t resolve your complaint

If you cannot resolve a problem with a casino that is on EMTA’s list, EMTA says you can then contact the authority directly. You will find the contact details on EMTA’s page with the list of legal gambling operators. Complain in writing, and keep a copy of your complaint and the casino’s replies. If the site has no Estonian licence, EMTA says it cannot help you, so check the licence before you deposit. At Gibraltar casinos, too, you can go to the regulator once you have been through the casino’s whole complaints procedure.

Complaints work differently at casinos licensed in Curaçao. Read about the complaints route at Curaçao casinos.

Is an EMTA licence trustworthy?

Yes, in the sense that it comes from an EU country and is backed by a law meant to protect players. There is also a public register where you can check the permits yourself. It is not a Danish licence, though, and no licence guarantees that a casino is safe.

To see the Estonian licence side by side with the others, use our comparison of casino licences.

What an EMTA licence gives you

• Supervision by Estonia’s Tax and Customs Board under the Estonian Gambling Act.
• A public list of legal gambling operators and a register that shows whether the permits are valid and when the operating permits expire.
• Game rules with a set complaints procedure, reviewed by EMTA, which must also approve any changes.
• Anti-money-laundering checks: since 2026, Estonia’s Financial Intelligence Unit must also approve new licence applications.

What an EMTA licence doesn’t give you

• The right to offer gambling in Denmark: only the Danish Gambling Authority can grant that.
• An operating permit with no end date: the permit for online casino games lasts up to five years at a time.
• Cover for other web addresses: the permit applies only to the web addresses it names.

For a licence from outside the EU, see how the licence from Anjouan works.

Whatever the licence, you decide how much you play. If you need help now, you can call StopSpillet or contact Center for Ludomani, and you can read more on our page about responsible gambling.